Diabetes Specialist Podiatrist

Location and salary

Site Eastcote Health Centre, Town Eastcote, HA5 1TG

Salary £53,751 - £60,651 per annum, including HCAS pro rata if PT . Salary period: Yearly. Closing date: 25/01/:59.

Job overview

If you are looking to improve your skills managing high-risk or diabetic foot cases alongside a team of non medical prescribers, join the Hillingdon Podiatry team.

The Hillingdon Podiatry team has a large high risk caseload across the borough and is the main provider for the multidisciplinary foot team at Hillingdon Hospital. This role directly supports MDFT referrals and works with Diabetes Consultants to protect the at risk foot. It also supports referrals to our local vascular hub for emerging vascular emergencies. If you want to help prevent amputations and foot related admissions, this is the right role for you.

Main duties of the job

This post requires a highly specialised professional with extensive knowledge, clinical skills and relevant experience in diabetes care, providing comprehensive care for patients with complex high risk foot problems. Duties include delivering specialist footcare, education to health care staff and patients on diabetes and foot care, and managing a complex high risk caseload autonomously and as part of the multidisciplinary team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work in accordance with College of Podiatry and Health and Care Professions Council Code of Professional Conduct including scope of professional practice.
• To assess, manage and treat high risk complex caseload consisting of patients with: acute and chronic diabetic foot problems, pre and post operative amputations wounds and acute and chronic neuropathic, vascular foot/lower limb problems
• To lead in the planning of care packages jointly between hospital and community care providers.
• To provide podiatry care including wound care for patients with musculoskeletal conditions
• To undertake biomechanical assessment, gait analysis and orthotic provision and advice for patients with a range of underlying MSK/biomechanical conditions
• To use clinical reasoning skill in the assessment, diagnoses and formulating treatment plans of patients with a variety of high risk foot problems and medical conditions
• To have the ability to cope with unpredictable work patterns as necessitated in acute wound care clinics
• To have highly developed physical skills, precision hand/eye co ordination which involves highly skilled debridement techniques of acute/chronic, neuropathic and ischaemic wounds, often for prolonged periods.
• Develop and contribute to the care and management of complex wounds and lower limb complications
• To apply and practice principles of wound management
• Have advance knowledge of dressing and there modes of action and appropriate indications of their use in wound care.
• To have a good working knowledge of biomechanics and its role wound care and basic musculoskeletal problems.
• To recognise the need, undertake and understand the result of investigations such as microbiology, x ray, and scans and respond appropriately.
• To take the clinical diabetes/high risk foot specialist role within the multidisciplinary diabetes foot team.
• To promote multidisciplinary team working.
• To provide diabetes/high risk foot care with the hospital out patients and wards based on agreed referral criteria and ensuring patients are not put at risk.
• To take direct referrals from GP; community podiatry and community nursing in the hospital setting and providing rapid access and expert clinical advise and intervention based on agreed referral criteria.
• To take internal hospital referrals from consultants/doctors, nurses and accident and emergency based on agreed criteria and ensuring patients at not put at risk
• To undertake specialist high risk work in a range of acute and community settings.
• To undertake nail surgery

Qualifications

• Diploma/BSc (Hons) Podiatry
• Certificate for Local Anaesthesia
• Registered Member of the HCPC
• RCOP Diabetic foot module or equivalent
• IRMER

Experience

• Extensive post graduate experience in the NHS working with high risk diabetic feet Podiatry.
• Experience of education of healthcare professionals
• Wide range of clinical experience including complex woundcare,with emphasis on patient with diabetes
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working
• Experience of working across primary and secondary care
• Experience of delivering patient education package

Skills and Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of the effect of diabetes in podiatric care
• Sound knowledge and experience in wound care including treatment modalities and Biomechanics
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills in pressure off loading in the high risk foot in the treatment of ulceration and prevention of ulcer in the high risk foot
• Demonstrates current clinical knowledge regarding evidence base and best practices Ability and knowledge of appropriate investigations required In the treatment of the high risk foot
• Ability and experience of foot health education/promotion of the high risk foot
• Knowledge of national policy relating to the diabetic foot
• Effective organisational skills
• Knowledge of the issues involved with a diverse population

Key Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication, IT, negotiation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritise & plan own workload to meet deadlines & competing demands; demonstrating flexibility
• Involvement in regular Audit or R&D

Other

• Must be able to undertake a domiciliary work and travel between clinics in Hillingdon area in line with the normal duties of the post (car driver/owner)

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.